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Representing the global wind energy industryMon, 30 Mar 2015 09:28:27 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Last days to register for Intercontinental Wind Power Congress!http://www.gwec.net/last-days-to-register-for-intercontinental-wind-power-congress/
http://www.gwec.net/last-days-to-register-for-intercontinental-wind-power-congress/#commentsThu, 26 Mar 2015 15:05:14 +0000http://www.gwec.net/?p=11787The Intercontinental Wind Power Congress (IWPC) will be held from 31 March – 2 April 2015, in Istanbul, Turkey, the natural bridge between Asia, Africa and Europe.

Turkey is one of the fastest growing wind markets globally and has enormous wind potential with already 3.75 GW of installed capacity, a further 11 GW in planning stages, and expectations to increase this ...

]]>The Intercontinental Wind Power Congress (IWPC) will be held from 31 March – 2 April 2015, in Istanbul, Turkey, the natural bridge between Asia, Africa and Europe.

Turkey is one of the fastest growing wind markets globally and has enormous wind potential with already 3.75 GW of installed capacity, a further 11 GW in planning stages, and expectations to increase this to 20 GW by 2023. The surrounding regions have abundant untapped wind resources, making this an area of great opportunity for companies wishing to expand into new markets. Read more

Intercontinental Wind Power congress aims to play a pivotal role in further promoting wind energy in the region. The event will be the meeting point for leading industry players, high level government officials, public and private entities, and finance and research institutions from Turkey and the neighbouring continents. Delegates will have the chance to hear about the huge potential of this region, and to exchange views, share best practices, technologies and innovations, as well as seek new investment opportunities. We will learn about the challenges of doing business in Turkey as well as hear about the enormous potential for investors interested in this vast market. GWEC will be holding a ‘Doing Business In’ session focusing on Brazil, South Africa and Poland as well as providing a global annual market update.

IWPC is a joint initiative between the Global Wind Energy Council, Turkish Wind Energy Association and European Wind Energy Association.

]]>The offshore wind industry is facing increasing pressure to cut costs, particularly when it comes to installation. To address this pressing issue, RES Offshore has developed its market-leading service offering, CORE, which allows project developers to minimize the impact of weather on project installation costs.

CORE allows RES to analyse the weather conditions at a specific site in precise detail. Analysts gather years’ worth of historic wave, current and wind data to specifically characterize each wind farm site. CORE then models step-by-step exactly how the weather would impact a planned installation, showing the disparity between costs accrued in different adverse weather conditions. CORE allows RES to identify potential bottlenecks in the installation and to minimize the impact of weather on installation. RES estimates the tool has saved over £10m on one project alone.

Laure Grignon, Metocean/Technical Analyst at RES Offshore, commented;

“It’s fantastic to be able to solve a real problem for the industry. The pressure is always on to cut the cost of projects, and CORE allows us to make huge savings when it comes to installation. Most similar offerings are not as detailed or as explicit about the complexity of conditions that can occur on site.”

The first version of CORE was developed in 2011 and it was packaged in its current form in early 2013, as industry’s need to predict site conditions became more pressing. Since developing the service offering, RES has seen a definite rise in demand and now uses CORE regularly, including on projects such as the Saint-Brieuc wind farm off the Brittany coast, and the Rhiannon wind farm off the coast of North Wales.

Chris Morgan, CEO RES Offshore said:

“Our software is market-leading as it combines an advanced numerical tool with the practical knowledge of a construction manager. Each time it is used we have a construction expert present, to bring together two complementary sets of information and ensure the best result.”

]]>http://www.gwec.net/res-offshore-core-service-cuts-the-cost-of-wind-farm-installation-by-millions/feed/0Latest Report: Offshore Wind Policy and Market Assessment Outlookhttp://www.gwec.net/latest-report-offshore-wind-policy-and-market-assessment-outlook/
http://www.gwec.net/latest-report-offshore-wind-policy-and-market-assessment-outlook/#commentsThu, 26 Mar 2015 13:36:08 +0000http://www.gwec.net/?p=11779The four year long FOWIND (Facilitating Offshore Wind in India) project has now been running for just over a year. During this time the project partners (DNV GL, GPCL, CSTEP and WISE) have worked to deliver necessary preliminary work to determine the potential for offshore wind development in the States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy ...

]]>The four year long FOWIND (Facilitating Offshore Wind in India) project has now been running for just over a year. During this time the project partners (DNV GL, GPCL, CSTEP and WISE) have worked to deliver necessary preliminary work to determine the potential for offshore wind development in the States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the National Institute for Wind Energy (formerly CWET).

A key research output - the Offshore Wind Policy and Market Assessment Outlook - was launched on 17 February in New Delhi. A joint report from DNV GL and GWEC on behalf of the FOWIND Consortium, this report is a crucial link to facilitating the development of a roadmap for offshore wind power in India.

The report seeks to review the experiences to date in six major offshore wind markets including Belgium, China, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and the UK; as well as to put the sector in the larger context of the industry as a whole. We try to tease out the lessons that may be useful for Indian policymakers as they piece together the policy, regulatory and financing frameworks which will allow for the development of a sustainable, commercially successful industry; which of course must be adapted to both the unique opportunities and challenges of the Indian financial and energy environments.

India already has a strong track record in onshore wind, but the rate of capacity addition has fallen in the past couple of years due to policy instability as well as state-specific issues linked to land acquisition for projects. As a result offshore wind may now have a role to play. Offshore wind holds the potential for alleviating the land acquisition challenge. Although the costs are greater, offshore wind has some inherent advantages such as a large wind resource, higher wind speeds than onshore wind and more clarity over land tenure. Offshore wind can also play a role in meeting the demand from load centres closer to the coastline – for example, Greater Mumbai, Chennai and Surat, as well as other big cities such as Vishakhapatnam and Vadodara, subject to technical and economic feasibility.

This report has reviewed progress in the sector to date and focused on the regulatory and policy frameworks in seven leading markets. It has drawn out the following key recommendations for India:

Set a clear offshore wind target and roadmap to convey the vision to industry

Experience shows that a clear, time-bound, quantitative target for offshore wind development, and a roadmap of how to achieve it, is an effective tool to focus minds on the offshore wind opportunity

A clear understanding of wider policy objectives helps to provide industry with confidence that the drivers for offshore wind will persist even if the exact milestones do not always go to plan

Ensure managed progression from demonstration to commercial projects

Demonstration sites are crucial for identifying regulatory issues, testing the local supply chain, understanding specific environmental concerns, helping transfer knowledge and testing new technology. However, for the industry to make the necessary investment in infrastructure, a clear plan for a well-managed progression to commercial scale projects is also required.

Public investment is needed not just to reduce project risk and to provide soft loans but also to ensure that the preliminary assessments and necessary supporting infrastructure is developed. The high cost of offshore wind means that a mix of public and private finance is likely to be required

Confidence in sufficient market volume helps industry to maximise local ‘learning by doing’ and benefit from economies of scale – thus pushing down costs. Yet it is important to ensure a smooth pipeline, as rapid increases or decreases in deployment are challenging for the supply chain to manage. A further aid to cost reduction can be designing ‘risk-informed’ financial support mechanisms, which are structured such as to minimise upfront developer risk, and therefore minimise the cost of financing.

Careful consideration of the costs and benefits of promoting a local supply chain

Job creation is a key driver for offshore wind, yet needs careful consideration. It could be beneficial for India to promote investment in this sector with a view towards creating a robust supply chain as part of the country’s industrial development strategy. However the decision to develop a supply chain must be based on whether the potential market is big enough to warrant a local supply chain that is commercially viable, and whether local companies would be able to win export opportunities in the wider global market.

Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been under review for more than one year, and at the time of writing negotiations over the level of the target were still ongoing. The Australian Government’s latest position was a large-scale target of 32,000 gigawatt-hours, but the industry and the Opposition are both calling for a target in the ...

Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been under review for more than one year, and at the time of writing negotiations over the level of the target were still ongoing. The Australian Government’s latest position was a large-scale target of 32,000 gigawatt-hours, but the industry and the Opposition are both calling for a target in the mid-to-high thirty thousands.

The Clean Energy Council remains hopeful of a resolution in the coming days that will end the uncertainty for Australia’s renewable energy sector. The current review has seen investment in large-scale renewable energy fall by almost 90 per cent, and so it is clear that a stable target is required to kick start new investment, and provide a clear future for the sector.

Wind power inquiry continues

The Australian Senate has established a Select Committee to review wind farms, with terms of reference that include the effect of wind farms on household power prices, health, fauna, fire-fighting, crop management, emissions reduction, as well as planning processes and compliance.

The committee has called for submissions from interested parties by 4 May, and will subsequently complete a report on its findings.

Wind Industry Forum

Australia's only technical conference for wind experts is coming up in Melbourne on Thursday 26 March.

It will include presentations from the experts on a variety of topics, including:

Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews announced changes to wind farm planning laws in March that intend to open the southern state back up to investors in renewable energy to create more jobs.

The changes reduce the veto for a proposed wind turbine from 2 km to 1 km, in line with the rules in neighbouring South Australia.

The Clean Energy Council joined the Premier, Planning Minister and Energy Minister at the official launch of the changes.

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) statement on wind farms and health released

The NHMRC released a statement on wind farms and health in February. The statement has been coming for about three years, when a new review of the evidence commenced following the 2011 Senate Inquiry into wind farms. The report concluded 'there is currently no consistent evidence that wind farms cause adverse health effects in humans’.

The Clean Energy Council sent out a media release to say the report came to the same conclusion that multiple other local and international studies have - that wind farms are safe and clean.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) wind auction winners announced

Three new Australian wind farms are likely to go ahead thanks to the announcements of the successful bidders in the ACT Government’s reverse auction process. The reverse auction was launched in 2014 as part of the ACT Government's ambition to source 90 per cent of its electricity from renewables. The wind auction will source 200 megawatts of wind, enough to provide around one-third of Australian capital city Canberra's electricity.

The successful bidders were Clean Energy Council member companies RES Australia, Windlab and Neoen. The Clean Energy Council sent out a media release on the announcement.

The wind industry set a new record for annual installations in 2014: globally, 51,477 MW of new wind generating capacity was added representing a 44% increase in the annual market, and is a solid sign ...

The wind industry set a new record for annual installations in 2014: globally, 51,477 MW of new wind generating capacity was added representing a 44% increase in the annual market, and is a solid sign of the recovery of the industry after a rough patch in the past few years. Total cumulative installations stand at 369,553 MW at the end of 2014.

China continues to drive global growth, setting a new record in 2014 with 23,351 GW of new wind power, representing 45% of the global market, and dominating the world-leading Asian market's total installations of 26,161 MW. India's 2,315 MW was a distant second, although the stage is now set for a new round of market growth in that country.

The European market grew marginally in 2014, with 12,820 MW of new capacity, and just shy of 2012's record. Germany's 5,279 MW of new capacity smashed the old record and cemented its position as European market leader, with the UK a distant second at 1,736. Sweden passed the 1,000 MW mark for the first time with 1,050 MW, and France was the last of four European markets surpassing 1 GW with 1,042 MW installed last year.

Africa's largest wind farm came on line with the commissioning of the 300 MW Tarfaya plant in Morocco, and South Africa's market made a strong start with 560 MW, pushing African totals to 934 MW.

Brazil's 2,472 MW in new installations led Latin American installations of 3,749 MW, although Chile (506 MW) and Uruguay (405 MW) also made strong showings. The US market recovered in 2014 from 2013's nadir with 4,854 MW, Canada (1,871 MW) set a new record and Mexico (522 MW) was solid. Australia's 567 MW showed that the renewables industry in Australia is not dead, despite the best efforts of the government to kill it.

A webinar jointly organized by GWEC and Renewable Energy World on 21 April 2015 at 3 P.M. CET will present key highlights from GWEC’s fresh out of print Global Wind Report which features insights into the most important wind markets around world, as well as projections out to 2019 along with an overview of the current status of global offshore market. Participants can hear about the up and coming new and emerging wind markets and get their questions answered by Steve Sawyer, CEO of GWEC.

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South Africa has grown its wind energy generating capacity by 560MW for 2014 (GWEC). With a physically and financially constrained grid, getting more wind power online remains a challenge for the foreseeable future. But when there is a will, there is a way, according to some experts on the ground.Wind power is the most competitive way of adding new ...

South Africa has grown its wind energy generating capacity by 560MW for 2014 (GWEC). With a physically and financially constrained grid, getting more wind power online remains a challenge for the foreseeable future. But when there is a will, there is a way, according to some experts on the ground.

Wind power is the most competitive way of adding new power generation capacity to the grid, according to Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) secretary general Steve Sawyer. In Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico and elsewhere, wind is competing directly and successfully with heavily subsidized incumbents, as GWEC states.

]]>http://www.gwec.net/expert-solutions-to-increase-wind-power-on-south-african-grid/feed/0Wind Investors Must Shed Middle East Misconceptionshttp://www.gwec.net/wind-investors-must-shed-middle-east-misconceptions/
http://www.gwec.net/wind-investors-must-shed-middle-east-misconceptions/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 16:40:27 +0000http://www.gwec.net/?p=11742For companies in the wind sector, however, the reception they have received in the oil-rich region has been decidedly cooler. Governments in the region have been slow to recognise how wind and other renewables can fit with their traditional oil and gas operations; and most of the nations that have committed to ‘green’targets have not brought in laws to give investors ...

]]>For companies in the wind sector, however, the reception they have received in the oil-rich region has been decidedly cooler. Governments in the region have been slow to recognise how wind and other renewables can fit with their traditional oil and gas operations; and most of the nations that have committed to ‘green’targets have not brought in laws to give investors uncertainty.

And yet, in our report about wind in the Middle East published this week, we can see that there is hope for investors and manufacturers that want to expand in one of the wind industry’s final frontiers.

The first myth about the region is that every country is like Qatar, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, with huge fossil fuel reserves. They aren’t, and some countries in the region are looking to use wind to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel imports. One of the most interesting is Jordan.

The second myth is assuming that countries in the region have all the energy they need. Many of the countries in the Middle East are growing fast and so their energy demand is growing too. We expect more to look to wind as they seek to diversify their energy supply, and the likes of Egypt and Turkey are both a case in point. Lessons learnt there will spread to the Arabian Peninsula.

And the third myth is assuming that these countries won’t change. Government-backed sovereign wealth investors such as ACWA Power, Masdar and Nebras are looking to invest in wind projects across the region, while Masdar has also been active overseas. We expect more Middle Eastern investors to gain experience in wind overseas and then take that back to their home market.

The wind sector is starting to gain a foothold in the Middle East, and investors would be wise to look at what opportunities it presents —although it isn’t a market for those who want a quick win. Why not read thefull report here?

]]>http://www.gwec.net/media-invitation-press-conference-by-webcast/feed/0India’s ambitious renewable energy planshttp://www.gwec.net/indias-ambitious-renewable-energy-plans/
http://www.gwec.net/indias-ambitious-renewable-energy-plans/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 15:06:21 +0000http://www.gwec.net/?p=11732As a follow up of the ‘Make in India’ initiative launched by the Indian Prime Minister late last year, his Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, along with IREDA and the two main industry organizations CII and FICCI organized the first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo (RE-INVEST) between 15-17 February 2015 in New Delhi.At the inauguration, 293 companies ...

]]>As a follow up of the ‘Make in India’ initiative launched by the Indian Prime Minister late last year, his Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, along with IREDA and the two main industry organizations CII and FICCI organized the first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo (RE-INVEST) between 15-17 February 2015 in New Delhi.At the inauguration, 293 companies committed to a target of 266 GW of renewable energy by 2020 under the government’s ambitious RE-Invest programme. The target includes achieving over 80 GW of wind capacity cumulatively by 2020.

RE-INVEST 2015

The 1st Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest) 2015 was conducted at New Delhi from 15th to 17th February 2015. The three-day conference was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Inaugurating the conference, Mr. Modi said that the solar, wind and biomass sources of energy are the way forward and the government is working towards making solar power more viable. There should be thrust on equipment manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ plan as it will go a long way in job creation. He added that there is a need to develop hybrid plants as well for optimum utilisation of available land. Prime Minister emphasized the need for change from Mega Watt to Giga Watt.

Green Energy Commitments

At the inauguration, 293 companies committed to generate 266 GW of renewable energy in the next five years under the government’s ambitious RE-Invest programme by setting up renewable power plants and manufacture the equipment as well. The commitments made for wind energy was for 45296 MW by power producers, and 36350 MW from manufacturers.

Onshore Wind Energy on 17th February 2015 sponsored by IWTMA:

As a part of Re-invest, IWTMA sponsored a session on Onshore Wind on 17th February 2015. The session focussed on policy, regulatory, financing and other major issues concerning wind power business in India and concentrated on building a comprehensive roadmap for achieving our targets.

60 MW Target:

With an ambitious target of 60 GW by 2022 set by Government of India, the wind energy sector is poised to achieve 10 GW per annum installation in the next 5 years. This will require focusing and solving the following main issues:

Continuation of AD should be there till critical mass is achieved. This will encourage more IPPs and PSUs to invest in the RE projects.

Adequate funds should be made available for Generation Based Incentive.

To achieve ‘Make in India’ for renewable energy, the government should endeavour for developing the entire supply chain.

Together with the focus on supply, attention would have to be paid to creating This can be done by strengthening RPO and ensuring its compliance by States by introducing Energy Law and making RPO compliance mandatory.

Push for Wind Solar Hybrid Systems:

There is a push for wind solar hybrid systems by using an optimum combination of wind-turbines and solar-PV with an efficiently shared infrastructure like land, evacuation, operations and maintenance etc. allowing greater economic and social utilization of all resources. As the wind generation is predominant during evening & night and solar peaks during the day resulting in to supply of energy produced by both the sources to the grid using common evacuation resources, thus enabling greater power production and evacuated per unit area. Wind Solar Hybrid System also finds a place in the proposed National Wind Mission announced by MNRE.

Scheduling and Forecasting for Higher Penetration of Wind:

Though the RRF mechanism has been put to hold, the efforts to put Scheduling and Forecasting are going on for greater penetration of wind in the grid. The wind power industry is working with concerned agencies to improve acceptability of wind energy by state utilities in a time bound manner. The Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs) are to be started in the wind rich States of India. REMCs will be equipped with advanced forecasting tools, smart dispatching solutions, real time monitoring of RE generation and closely coordinating with SLDC/RLDC. The forecasting by the state REMC would be passed on to the state SLDC, which would be used for scheduling.

Wind Installations in 2014-15:

Industry hopes to cover 2.2 GW of installations during 2014-15 and is looking at 3.5 to 4.00 GW installations in 2015-16.

Repowering

Another focus area for increase in RE generation is Repowering. Till 2000-02 In India the Wind Electric Generator (WEG) ratings were from 225 kW to 600 kW with rotor diameter 30 to 40 meter and hub height of 30 meter getting CUF in the range of 15%. Now-a-days almost all WEG are rated 1.5 MW to 2.1 MW and even higher with rotor diameter of 90-100 meters and hub-height of 80-100 meter with CUF of 20% in low wind area and 25-30% in high wind sites. The old WEGs are incidentally located in reasonably good wind sites. With the repowering the installed capacity would increase marginally but generation would increase substantially.

Indo German Energy Forum (IGEF) Support Office has initiated a study supported by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and National Institute of Wind Energy titled “Roadmap for developing conducive framework for repowering of old wind turbines and the assessment of its market potential in India”.The study aims to understand the issues, policy requirements, techno-financial needs and the total market potential for repowering of the old wind turbines in India. One of the objectives is to understand the policy requirements that MNRE may choose to include in a policy for repowering. For this purpose, IGEF Support Office has engaged Idam Infrastructure Advisory Pvt Ltd to undertake this study.

This Tuesday Brazil's power sector regulator Aneel approved the price ceiling for the April 27 wind-and-biomass energy auction.

The maximum bidding prices will be BRL 179 (USD 56.9/EUR 51.9) per MWh for wind power projects, and BRL 215 per MWh for biomass projects.

A total of 570 proposals, with a combined capacity of 14,962 MW, have been registered for this auction. This includes 530 wind projects with total capacity of 12,895 MW and 40 thermal biomass schemes of a combined 2,067 MW.